GREENSBORO, N.C. – An associate dean at a North Carolina university said people might feel guilty after testing positive for COVID-19.

Associate Dean of Experiential Learning for The University of North Carolina at Greensboro's School of Nursing Dr. Audrey Snyder said there's now some social stigma associated with people who have the virus.

Snyder said some people feel guilty when they have COVID-19, and a lot of times are afraid to tell their friends or be truthful with people they've been around. 

"No one wants to think, 'Oh, I actually had COVID, and I spread that to someone else,' and to think that there's the possibility that someone could die because of my actions," Snyder says. 

According to Snyder, it's crucial for people to tell others they have COVID-19 because, in North Carolina, contact tracing by local health departments can only be done to roughly 25 percent of people who have tested positive.